All over Virginia, good things come to those who bait.
Photo by Sam Dean
When I was a little boy, I loved sitting on the bank of a farm pond beside my dad, trying to catch at least one fish to take home proudly to my mom for dinner—or just for show. Virginia’s waterways offer a plethora of fishing opportunities, whether you want to relax near a pond fishing for bream using a cane pole, bobber, and a worm or zip down the James in a high-tech fishing boat seeking a citation bass with the best tackle money can buy.
Paul Bugas, the Region 4 fisheries manager for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and former Trout Unlimited Conservationist of the Year, can help narrow the choices for finding the fish you want to hook. “Fishing east of the fall line of the Rappahannock, York, James, and Potomac rivers offers spring runs of anadromous species [those that leave the sea to spawn upriver], such as striped bass, hickory, and American shad. Huge blue and channel catfish also abound in these waters,” says Bugas.
Photo courtesy of Backlash Fishing
If you are looking for smallmouth bass, walleye, and sunfish, move west of the fall line. Brown, rainbow, and brook trout are stocked in our western waters, such as the Jackson and Bullpasture rivers and Jennings Creek. “Virginia has only two natural lakes, so most ‘flat water’ fishing is done in our major reservoirs, which include Lake Anna, Smith Mountain Lake, Kerr Reservoir, South Holston Reservoir, Claytor Lake, and Lake Moomaw,” explains Bugas. In these waters you may find landlocked striped bass, walleye, largemouth bass, brown trout, and crappie.
Fly fishers looking for trout will have better odds fishing Virginia’s southwestern spring creeks, rivers, and streams or those with higher elevations. These areas will be your best bet for finding native brook trout, as well as naturalized brown and rainbow trout.
If you want to fish the big water off the coast, give Capt. Steve Richardson of Backlash Sport Fishing in Virginia Beach a call. He’ll take you out in his custom Perdue Sportfish to fish for white and blue marlin, wahoo, sailfish, and tuna. According to Richardson, the most popular fish depends on the charter and time of year. “Yellowfin season typically runs from May through late June, while the best time to catch white marlin around Virginia Beach is in August and September,” he notes. Richardson welcomes first-time charter fishers, providing all the licenses and optional food and beverages for a hassle-free day. “All you need is a great attitude and sense of adventure,” he says, “along with a good hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses!”
For more ideas, or if you’re planning to fish in an unfamiliar area, contact or visit the local fish and tackle shops where you want to fish. They can recommend both the fly patterns or lures that are currently working and the best fishing guide in the area. A guide can be invaluable when you’re fishing unfamiliar waters. To find more info on charter fishing boats, go to FishingBooker.com.
This article originally appeared in our WaterLife 2019 issue.
